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Many tourist railroads rely on Volunteers to keep the wheels
turning. We know from our experience working
with railroads that many Volunteers were Guests first. It may have been a Santa Train, or a Charter
(a bridal shower or bachelor party) or maybe, Father’s Day. Somehow, they rode the train, had fun, and
decided to get involved.

So how do you engage your Guests and invite them to
Volunteer?

Broadcast the invitation to volunteer on all channels.

Post clear and easy to find information on your
website. Detail the types of skills
needed and tasks to be done. Photos of
current Volunteers “at work” doing fun stuff will go a long way.

Post photos and video of Volunteers at work or enjoying the
annual banquet or awards ceremony on your social media. With permission, tag the Volunteers pictured
so their friends can see what they are up to – they may want to join in too.

Depending on your business rules, eg. you may require
volunteers to join as members first, or take a course for certification, you
can invite Volunteers to register online either during the ticket purchase
process or through a link on your website.
An automatically generated “post-excursion email” may include
information on volunteering. The Guest can provide their contact information on
a sign up form and indicate areas of skill or interest. That’s a “hot lead”. Follow up is key to successful recruitment. An
email notification automatically sent to your Volunteer Coordinator when a
prospective volunteer submits the interest form prompts them to follow up and
take the next step with the prospect. That may be a phone call, another email
inviting them to a workday, or registering them for a required training.